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MAGNA — The family of a woman just two weeks away from giving birth lost their house but escaped injury in a fire early Wednesday.
Unified Fire Authority crews received multiple 911 calls about 4:45 a.m. of a fire near 2800 South and 8650 West, said Unified Fire Battalion Chief Steve Prokopis.
"We had reports anywhere from a vehicle in the back of the house on fire, to the back of the house is on fire, to electrical lines on fire in the backyard," he said.
The mother in the house was awoken by the sound of the fire before the home's smoke detectors went off, Prokopis said. She got her husband and toddler out of bed and out of the house safely.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy flames on the outside of the structure stretching into the attic. Crews attempted to battle the flames from the inside of the house but were forced to go into a defensive mode because of the damage the fire had already caused to the home, including the roof, Prokopis said.
Damage was estimated at $150,000, and the house was considered a total loss, he said. No people were injured, but a family cat remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday afternoon.
The fire was believed to have started in the rear of the house near a parked car, which was near an electrical meter, Prokopis said. The cause remained under investigation Wednesday but was not considered suspicious, he said.
